1.“Woman accused of
assaulting family member in wheelchair.” A Mountain Home woman is in jail after
an assault investigation. Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery stated
39-year-old Sarah Lynn Smith was arrested Sunday morning. ---kait8.com, June 19
(Arkansas) https://is.gd/UwmXUG

2.“Family files
claim against La Puente school district after boy w/ Down syndrome suddenly
dies.” The family of an 8-year-old boy with special needs is demanding answers
after his sudden death during his second day of summer school in La Puente.
---http://abc7.com, June 19 (California) https://is.gd/O7CRD7

4.“Special education
teacher charged with sexual assault.” A Connecticut special education teacher
has been charged with second-degree sexual assault after police say she engaged
in a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student. ---seattletimes.com, June
21 (Connecticut) https://is.gd/j3XcQk

6.“Wife is arrested
after diabetic husband is found covered in maggot and cockroach infested wounds
in 'rancid' home which 'smelled like rotting flesh'.” A woman has been arrested
for disabled adult neglect after her bed-ridden diabetic husband was found lying
in insect-riddled waste with maggots and cockroaches crawling over open wounds
which were so deep his bones were exposed. ---dailymail.co.uk, June 15
(Georgia) https://is.gd/yvRUi5

7.“Woman accused of
leaving child with Down syndrome in hotel conference room.” A Louisville mother
is behind bars, accused of abandoning her child with special needs child in a
hotel conference room. ---wave3.com, June 19 (Kentucky) https://is.gd/wOjIx3

8.“Parents Awarded
$900K After Hidden Cameras Capture Student Restraint.” Arbitrators have awarded
$900,000 to a family that sued the Clark County, Nev., district after their son
was restrained repeatedly during the 2011-12 school year‐some of which was caught on video cameras that had been hidden
in the classroom by school district police officers. ---edweek.org, June 15
(Nevada) https://is.gd/PzrY4D

9.“State employees
fired after Webster group home resident dies.” The state and local police are
investigating how a young woman died while in the care of New York State. The
woman lived in a group home in Webster. ---whec.com, June 21 (New York) https://is.gd/5jloLo

10.“North Carolina
man arrested for assaulting handicapped woman with painters stick.” The
Brunswick County Sheriff's Office arrested a man in Sunset Beach for burglary
and assaulting a woman who is handicapped. ---abc11.com, June 20 (North
Carolina) https://is.gd/6cUa77

11.“Company that
operates Oklahoma group homes for children and disabled has history of
problems.” Deaths, as well as allegations of abuse and assault have emanated
from group homes operated by Sequoyah Enterprise Inc., a private company that
contracts with state agencies to care for some of Oklahoma's most vulnerable
residents. ---newsok.com, June 18 (Oklahoma) https://is.gd/IddBGs

12.“Special education
asst. at Newport High charged with sex abuse.” A special education assistant at
Newport High School is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student,
police officials said. ---katu.com, June 22 (Oregon) https://is.gd/MD4EPl

LAWS AND LEGISLATION

13.“Disability
Advocates Push Back On Health Bill As Vote Looms.” Advocates are working
furiously to oppose a health care bill that they say would bring devastating
cuts to services and supports that people with disabilities rely on. ---disabilityscoop.com,
June 20 https://is.gd/mihooE

14.“Arkansas Senate:
Act aims to help more developmentally disabled people.” Legislators are moving
ahead with a financing plan that allows an additional 500 people with
developmental disabilities to move off a waiting list and get services that will
help them live more independently. ---magnoliareporter.com, June 18 (Arkansas)
https://is.gd/RhmYZn

15.“Montana lawmakers
look into schools’ special education funds.” Some parents of children with
disabilities have complained for years that Montana public schools aren’t doing
enough to educate their kids. So have parents of gifted students. ---bozemandailychronicle.com,
June 15 (Montana) https://is.gd/3Jg859

17.“Advocacy group
names Greene County polling places unfriendly to voters with disabilities.”
Advocacy group Disability Rights New York identified 80 percent of polling
places in Greene County are not accessible to people with disabilities. ----thedailymail.net,
June 17 (New York) https://is.gd/pX8pk7

18.“FROM TRAGIC
DEATH, A LAW TO SAFEGUARD PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.” ‘Komninos
Law’ protects individuals at residential facilities and day programs, requires
families and guardians to be notified within an hour of any problems. ---njspotlight.com,
June 20 (New Jersey) https://is.gd/VopDOp

19. “Senate, Assembly
pass bill to block merger of Children’s Psychiatric Center with Buffalo
Psychiatric.” The New York State Assembly and Senate unanimously passed a bill
Friday to block the merger of the Western New York Children’s Psychiatric center
with the Buffalo Psychiatric Center for adults. ---wivb.com, June 16 (New York)
https://is.gd/njb4yh

20.“SRC delays vote
on $36 million contract for special-ed school .” Philadelphia's School Reform
Commission Thursday postponed a vote on a $36 million contract for Catapult
Learning, Inc. that would have set up new special-education programming in the
city to serve students with multiple disabilities who are now sent to private
institutions. ----newsworks.org, June 16 (Pennsylvania) https://is.gd/WzNsl9

21.“What Texas
Lawmakers Did For Special Education And What They Missed.” For years, the State
of Texas went to great lengths to limit the number of kids provided special
education services. Following a Houston Chronicle investigation, parents were
outraged. So were state lawmakers, who vowed to take this on during the 2017
legislative session. --houstonpublicmedia.org, June 19 (Texas) https://is.gd/1YTt6k

22.“Walmart sued in
Tulsa federal court for terminating employees with disabilities.” Two former
Wal-Mart associates have separately sued the company, alleging that it violated
the Americans With Disabilities Act by firing them because of their disabilities
after they worked there for a combined 37 years. ---tulsaworld.com, June 16
(Texas) https://is.gd/7rKhcw

23.“Investigate
disparate discipline rates for special-education students.” EVERY child in
Washington is entitled to a public-school education, no matter his or her
abilities. ---seattletimes.com, June 18 (Washington) https://is.gd/ei2LL0

25.“People with
disabilities will pay for the GOP’s Medicaid cuts.” What does Medicaid have to
do with independence? For millions of Americans with disabilities, the answer is
clear. ---thehill.com, June 21 (Washington DC) https://is.gd/s0CrgD

IMPROVED SUPPORTS

26.“Anchorage
students with disabilities get out-of-school suspensions 3 times more often than
peers.” Cassandra didn't expect the phone call about her son. She had just
picked up the eighth-grade child from the nurse's office at Anchorage's
Goldenview Middle School on a Tuesday in March. He didn't feel well. ----adn.com,
June 19 (Alaska) https://is.gd/NAfT7E

27.“State probe finds
'deficiencies' in deaf teen's treatment at Mesa Banner hospital.” The Arizona
Department of Health Services has completed an investigation into Mesa’s Banner
Desert Medical Center in response to a foster mother’s complaint that her deaf
daughter with special needs was neglected while in the hospital’s care.
---12news.com, June 15 (Arizona) https://is.gd/CNS3ab

28.“Free Wheelchair
Mission Gives Away One Million Wheelchairs to People in Developing Nations.”
Orange County nonprofit to celebrate one million lives transformed through the
gift of mobility at Miracle of Mobility gala on July 13. ---marketwatch.com,
June 20 (California) https://is.gd/irjRyg

29.“Disneyland
characters communicate with deaf child using sign language.” Here is a truly
magical moment from The Happiest Place on Earth.
Olive Crest is an organization that
serves over 3,500 at-risk kids and families throughout California, Nevada and
Washington. On one of the group's recent trips to Disneyland, they arranged a
very special moment for a boy who is deaf. ---abc7news.com, June 16 (California)
https://is.gd/J7G9nZ

30.“Local officers
train to better interact with people with disabilities.” Local officers were in
Elkhart Tuesday to discuss how to identify those with a disability. ADEC, a
local organization that advocates and serves those with intellectual
disabilities. ---wndu.com, June 20 (Indiana) https://is.gd/RdQPvS

31.“How a Carmel mom
saved her autistic son's future with 'No Label at the Table' bakery.” It was
after a long pause while sitting in his family's kitchen in Carmel, with a
half-finished ingredient list beside him, that Jacob Wittman found the words to
describe his co-workers at the bakery business he and his mother started. ---indystar.com,
June 20 (Indiana) https://is.gd/3K9AYB

32.“Arlington Heights
board approves affordable housing project for residents with disabilities “
After hours of emotional testimony from local residents who know family members
with mental illness and developmental disabilities, the Arlington
Heights Village Board
voted unanimously Monday to approve an affordable housing project that officials
rejected in 2010. ---chicagotribune.com, June 20 (Illinois) https://is.gd/9xGOlK

33.“Floating
wheelchair helps people with disabilities enjoy Maine's beaches.” Summer is a
time for fun, for travel and for family vacations, and what better place to go
then Vacationland itself. ---wcsh6.com, June 19 (Maine) https://is.gd/TwT3PG

34.“Special education
collaborative giving back $2M to local school districts.” The Valley
Collaborative special-education school is setting the standard for reform. ---lowellsun.com,
June 19 (Massachusetts) https://is.gd/745yyj

35.“LGBTQ People With
Developmental Disabilities Need Respect, Privacy, and Access to Community.”
Robert arrives at an old friend’s Brooklyn Pride party with a box of Oreos for
the potluck and a bag of records for his inevitable DJ set. ---slate.com, June
22 (Massachusetts) https://is.gd/U8yNoS

36.“Services sought
for autistic patients.” When Beth Homand applied a decade ago for mental health
counseling for her son, who has Asperger’s syndrome, she was turned down. ---newburyportnews.com,
June 21 (Massachusetts) https://is.gd/4TvNB0

37.“Cheer team with
special needs hopes to have something to shout about at nationals.” They have
more challenges to live with than most, yet many are making sure they always
have something to cheer about. ---thenewsherald.com, June 18 (Michigan) https://is.gd/u6kQ8P

38.“ABC of NC to
break ground on $6.5 million expansion autism treatment facility.” The Triad’s
only comprehensive provider of autism services is expanding to meet the
increasing needs of autistic children and their families. ---journalnow.com,
June 16 (North Carolina) https://is.gd/neIx0E

39.“NC Senate passes
bill that identifies deaf drivers on license.” The state Senate approved
Thursday a bipartisan House bill that is designed to help provide better
communication and interaction between deaf and hard-of-hearing motorists and law
enforcement officials. ---journalnow.com, June 22 (North Carolina) https://is.gd/vCKSgg

40.“Oklahoma company
links health care with social services.” One Oklahoma company is working to
avoid the confusion of health care and its data as it rolls out a new program to
connect patients with social services. ----newsok.com, June 20 (Oklahoma) https://is.gd/VPotSS

41.“Pennsylvania
Agrees to New Steps for Mentally Ill in Jails.” Pennsylvania agreed in court
Thursday to a second set of steps to try to ensure mentally ill defendants don't
suffer long stays in jail before getting transferred to a treatment unit. ---usnews.com,
June 15 (Pennsylvania) https://is.gd/fWdOY9

42.“Brandywine
Heights School Board creates new special education position.” The Brandywine
Heights School Board has approved creating a special education intervention
specialist position in the elementary school by moving a special education
teacher from the high school into the new position and hiring someone part time
to fill the teaching position. ---readingeagle.com, June 22 (Pennsylvania)
https://is.gd/q4Pa4q

43.“Lehigh University
looks to study cannabis' effect on autistic children.” As Pennsylvania prepares
to award its first licenses for the fledgling medical marijuana industry, Lehigh
University intends to
partner with one of the potential growers in the Lehigh Valley to study the
effect of the drug on children with autism. ---mcall.com, June 19 (Pennsylvania)
https://is.gd/KkQzlV

44.“AAA Refused to
Pick Up Blind Woman Stranded with Service Dog.” A legally blind Rhode Island
woman said that she had to wait hours for AAA after they refused to pick her up
with her guide dog -- before finally getting the roadside assistance
organization to comply with federal disability law. ---golocalprov.com, June 21
(Rhode Island) https://is.gd/srG3M7

46.“Georgetown shop
and cafe helps adults with special needs.” When it comes to entering the
workforce, adults with special needs can sometimes be met with red tape.
However, a Georgetown non-profit has a program to help change that. ---kvue.com,
June 15 (Washington DC) https://is.gd/hrqkQM

47.“World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day: Is the White House Aware?” Today, we mark the eleventh observance
of World
Elder Abuse Awareness Day in
our nation and around the world. As of early this morning, for the first time
since 2012, there is no Presidential proclamation honoring World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day. ---huffingtonpost.com, June 16 (Washington DC) https://is.gd/12ZgSV

INTERNATIONAL

48.“Advocate welcomes
department's decision to release secret data but says more needs to be done.” A
Bendigo disability advocate has welcomed a government department’s decision to
disclose secret details about the number of children grabbed by the wrists,
pushed to the ground or locked inside rooms. ---bendigoadvertiser.com.au, June
22 (Australia) https://is.gd/ZGm6Z9

49.“Autistic children
in classroom help mainstream peers, learning specialist says.” Having children
with autism educated in mainstream classrooms benefits all students, according
to an academic who specialises in learning difficulties. ---abc.net.au, June 22
(Australia) https://is.gd/kNfYG1

50.“Pauline Hanson
under fire for comments about autistic children.” Politicians have slammed
Pauline Hanson’s suggestion autistic children be removed from mainstream
classrooms to prevent other students from being held back. --- sbs.com.au, June
21 (Australia) https://is.gd/Dsvknq

51.“NT Government
charged $85k per month to run home of four children, royal commission hears.”
The Northern Territory Government pays a private company $85,000 each month to
run a group home for four children in the town of Katherine, a royal commission
has heard. ---abc.net.au, June 20 (Australia) https://is.gd/dIUgMt

52.“Improving Access
to Services for People with Developmental Disabilities.” Ontario is improving
access to services for adults with developmental disabilities and their families
by finding better ways to connect them to supports available in their local
community. ---news.ontario.ca, June 21 (Canada) https://is.gd/NRZ2CY

53.“Wheelchair users
face severe job market discrimination, says new Quebec study.” A person in a
wheelchair is 54 per cent less likely to be called in for a job interview than
someone without a disability, according to a new study targeting Montreal and
Quebec City employers. ---cbc.ca, June 18 (Canada) https://is.gd/78VvnU

54.“Girl with Down
syndrome named ‘mayor’ of her parish, welcomes everyone to church.” She wasn’t
elected, but the constituents love their mayor. Lindsey Malloy was appointed
“mayor” of St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church in Pickering, Ontario, by her parish
priest, Father Paul Dobson. Lindsey, a friendly young woman with Down syndrome,
exercises a ministry of hospitality at the parish. ---lifesitenews.com, June 21
(Canada) https://is.gd/rK0UDp

55.“TransLink testing
RFID fare gates for people with disabilities.” Whenever he needs to go somewhere
on transit, Terry LeBlanc avoids taking SkyTrain, even if it makes his trip
significantly longer. ---vancouversun.com, June 19 (Canada) https://is.gd/GxjKAm

56.“One in six women
with learning disabilities has attempted suicide.” A new study by the University
of Toronto found that the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was much
higher for women who had been diagnosed with learning disabilities (16.6%)
compared to women who had not (3.3%). Men with learning disabilities also were
more likely to have attempted suicide compared to men without learning disorders
(7.7% vs 2.1%).--- medicalxpress.com, June 21 (Canada) https://is.gd/NR3lXo

57.“People with
disabilities at risk in Central African Republic.” Simplice Lenguy told his wife
to leave him behind as people fled when fighting broke out in Central African
Republic's capital. ---usnews.com, June 22 (Central Africa Republic) https://is.gd/Vf2oPo

58.“Dealing With
Disabilities, but No Longer Invisible.” Andres Millan spent two years traveling
around Bogotá, Colombia, and its environs, photographing people whose mental
health issues or physical limitations kept them at home. ---lens.blogs.nytimes.com,
June 21 (Columbia) https://is.gd/bL1ukg

59.“Shameless
passenger said autistic girl shouldn't be allowed on plane to Disneyland - but
brother, 10, had amazing response.” A passenger sitting in front of the Kai
Smith's family said his disabled sister Sienna should not fly again because it
is 'disruptive for other people'. ---mirror.co.uk, June 20 (France) https://is.gd/OXURHu

60.“Ontario won't say
where high needs youth were moved after Thunder Bay, Ont. group homes shut
down.” After conducting unannounced inspections, Ontario has closed three
privately-run group homes in Thunder Bay, but it's not clear where the high risk
youth who were staying there have been moved. ---cbc.ca, June 16 (Canada) https://is.gd/07VfWh

61.“Odisha: Two
mentally-challenged brothers thrashed, tied to pole for alleged child theft.”
Two mentally-retarded brothers were brutally thrashed and tied to a wooden pole
for allegedly kidnapping a child here in Baripada. ---newindianexpress.com, June
19 (India) https://is.gd/MkwZPd

62.“Autistic youth
dies at rehabilitation centre in Hyderabad.” An 18-year autistic youth, who had
been living at a Hyderabad rehabilitation centre since 2011, reportedly died
there under suspicious circumstances on Saturday. ---newindianexpress.com, June
18 (India) https://is.gd/JxHm0r

63.“Belfast teacher
subjects little autistic boy Aodhan (5) to tirade of abuse.” A furious mother
has gone public with a recording of her autistic son being subjected to a tirade
of angry abuse from a teacher in his school. ---belfasttelegraph.co.uk, June 16
(Ireland) https://is.gd/YeGePT

64.“Tenacity, passion
may have resulted in law change.” The tenacity of a Southland couple who
complained to police about allegations of abuse at Ruru Specialist School may
have resulted in law change, police say. ----stuff.co.nz, June 16 (New Zealand)
https://is.gd/1uF7nt

66.“U.S. STUDENT
FREED FROM NORTH KOREA HAS SEVERE BRAIN INJURY.” An American university student
who was returned to the United States this week after being held in North Korea
for 17 months has a severe brain injury and is in a state of "unresponsive
wakefulness," doctors said on Thursday. ---newsweek.com, June 16 (North Korea)
https://is.gd/M2YJLr

68.“Paul O'Neill
jailed after directing child abuse in the Philippines.” A former teacher who
paid men to abuse children as young as four in the Philippines while he watched
online has been jailed for life. ---bbc.com, June 16 (UK) https://is.gd/dqK2RV

69.“Vulnerable man
who was beaten to death in Newcastle did not get the support he needed.” A
vulnerable man who was battered to death did not receive the support he needed
because of his “reluctance or inability” to engage with those responsible for
his care, a report has said. ---thenorthernecho.co.uk, June 15 (UK) https://is.gd/HsOfeZ

70.“Thousands of
child sex abuse victims miss out on compensation because of cruel time limit on
claims.” Victims of historical sex abuse are
losing out on thousands of pounds in criminal compensation due to a cruel legal
loophole. ---mirror.co.uk, June 17 (UK) https://is.gd/v4JE5e

71.“Exposed: 'Horror of
institutional abuse' in Bupa care homes as secret filming reveals shocking
catalogue of abuse towards elderly dementia victims.” Anxious families seeking
care homes for elderly relatives with dementia would no doubt be reassured to
see the name Bupa above the door.--- dailymail.co.uk, June 18 (UK) https://is.gd/eZYmaz

72.“Major overhaul of
special-needs education on the cards.” EARLY help for children with special
needs or disabilities would be overhauled under new Council plans. ---thetelegraphandargus.co.uk,
June 18 (UK) https://is.gd/cZC1L8

73.“Even more
vulnerable children are being failed, yet ANOTHER top level report finds. A
15-year-old girl was not recorded as missing, yet ten days later she was found
to have been raped by a 54 year old man and other men, and given crack
cocaine.--- gloucestershirelive.co.uk, June 20 (UK) https://is.gd/aRCxSZ

MISCELLANEOUS

74.“Elevated rate of autism
symptoms found in children with Tourette syndrome.” Around one in five children
with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary
movements and vocalizations, met criteria for autism in a study headed by UC San
Francisco. ---medicalxpress.com, June 22 https://is.gd/s5keRj

75.“How Wheelchair
Accessibility Ramped Up.” Stephanie Woodward just wanted to meet her friends for
a drink. It was a bar she’d never visited, and she was excited. ---theatlantic.com,
June 21 https://is.gd/BbomzX

76. “New psychiatric
health alternative in San Bernardino almost ready to open.” A new voluntary
behavioral health residential treatment center has been completed that county
officials say will help meet some regional needs. ---sbsun.com, June 20
(California) https://is.gd/kueu3W

77.“Marine veteran
amputee to become California police officer.” Chris Lawrence is about to realize
his dream of becoming a police officer. He's been hired by the Chula Vista
Police Department. His journey has been long and painful. ---foxnews.com, June
22 (California) https://is.gd/TaNfTH

79.“Man Becomes
Hospital's First-Ever Full-Time Employee With Down Syndrome.” A Massachusetts
man with Down syndrome now has a full-time job at the hospital that once helped
him. ---insideedition.com, June 19 (Massachusetts) https://is.gd/IdwViy

80.“Deaf rescue dog
learns special sign language.” A deaf pit bull that was found chained to a fence
in the freezing February weather in New York City is now learning sign language.
---aol.com, June 19 (New York) https://is.gd/kIKhFQ

81.“SunTrust
Foundation Gives $10,000 To Support Children With Special Needs.” In 2015,
Siskin Children’s Institute created the Siskin Testing and Assessment Relief
(STAR) program to help families with the expenses associated with critical
services. ----chattanoogan.com, June 19 (Tennessee) https://is.gd/AfBUuD

82.
“Handicapped-accessible playground back open after months of rebuilding.” After
being surrounded by orange construction fencing for months, CAMDEN Playground in
Janesville is finally back open. ---channel3000.com, June 20 (Wisconsin) https://is.gd/jvY6oN

83.“Model with Down's
syndrome is inspiring others after becoming first to land beauty advert.” Katie
Meade is hoping to shake up the fashion industry and prove that “beauty belongs
to everybody”. ---dailystar.co.uk, June 17 (UK) https://is.gd/FDNMmX

84.
“Employers are happy to hire someone with Down’s Syndrome – but not to cough up
come pay day.” A while ago I got a job in an office, but they didn’t want to pay
me. This is normal for me. I’m 47 and have Down’s Syndrome. ---inews.co.uk, June
21 (UK) https://is.gd/NTAFfQ